Choose one of the prompts below and develop a two-page (500 word) response that links thematically and updates one of the classics we’ve read. You do not have to discuss the classic text since each prompt is already thematically linked to the classic. For example, when you write about loss  (Prompt #1), you’re connecting to the feeling of loss explored in The Wife’s Lament. If you write about the coffee house (Prompt #2), you’re addressing the themes of friendship and camaraderie found in Beowulf, and Prompt #3 deals with a time you felt alone or misunderstood as seen in Grendel. A good rule of thumb is to fully address the prompt as it’s worded.

This is an informal writing assignment, so feel free to get creative and have fun with this assignment, or to get personal and expressive. You are welcome to use first person (I and we) and to write this in any form you choose — poem, short short, letter to the editor, journal entry, blog post, newspaper article, or even a series of Facebook status or Twitter updates — as long as your writing meets the minimum word count. Feel free to add pictures if you’d like, and you can use whatever font you want (as long as I can read it!

You are trying to open up a restaurant / coffee shop that will become a social gathering place for your friends and peers. You want this place to be really cool — but also a place where people can relax and get comfortable. What kind of establishment will you open? How will you get people in the doors? What will they do once they get there? How will you keep them there for long periods of time and keep them coming back? Write a description or story of your ideal social meeting place.